Community library manifesto

Today, we are launching a Community Library. This is a place where you can publish your ai models and discover models, published by creators in our community. Exactly is a diverse community of 50,000 artists, designers, and illustrators from around the world. Previously, you could only create images with the models you trained. Today, we are launching the most critical functionality for our community. Now, you can share models you have created on Exactly and see how our community members create imagery in your style. You can collaborate with artists you love by using their models.

The community library of models is our response to the biggest concern modern creators have today. We see how your creative work was scraped from the internet and used to create AI products. Now, tech companies sell access to their AI models, but those who contributed to the original technology were never asked if they were willing to donate their images and were never properly compensated for their crucial creative output.

It is still a Wild West in terms of artists’ protection. Every day, someone can come to your Instagram profile, screenshot the images you posted, train an AI model based on those images, and then sell access to this AI model. You won’t even know this happened, and you’ll have no way to prove you were robbed. There is almost no law to protect you from this.

It’s understandable that your initial impulse would be to remove all the images you created from the internet to protect yourself. But if you remove them, you will lose potential clients and visibility, which any artist needs to find commissions and raise their public profile and CV. Our vision is that hiding your artwork contradicts the very nature of the artistic practice, so removing it from the internet is counterproductive.

What can you do to protect yourself? Tech companies use technology to take images, train models, and publish them to generate revenue. As the owner of the original data, you can do the same. Take your images, create your personal AI model, publish it on the internet, and charge clients who want to use it.

Previously, artists couldn't create AI based on their artwork. We are building exactly.ai so any creator in the world can make their personal AI. We are launching this Community Library to help our members thrive with their artistic practice in the era of AI and in a world where the rules have changed.

Obviously, any artist alone cannot compete with large tech companies that have bigger audiences and the skills to generate revenue. But you are not alone. We are a group of 50,000 people, and we are growing daily. Together, we can protect ourselves.

We are committed to this public roadmap for the development of the Community Library.

Step one: first creators joined us

Several hundred creators participated in our open call for the Community Library. We have selected 20 illustrators and artists to be the first ones to publish their models on Exactly. Today we launched the Community Library, so you can see their models and create with them.

We express deepest gratitude to the first bravest artists who shared their work with our community: Vanessa Tesorone, Miguel Sousa, Liza Perelman, Florencia Magallanes, Moritz Ryser, Varvara Pivnyuk, Aleksandr Potolitsyn, Stephane Maguet, Marcos Abdallah, Zu Pink, Amarylis Hibon, Aurelia Karina, Marçal Morell Torra, Oleg Semenov, Sasha Mazur-K, Emma Brossaud, and Calavera Catrina.

Step two: your turn is now

Starting today, you can submit your own model to the Community Library and join the appeal. To submit your model, go to the Models section in your workspace, select the model you want to submit, click the "..." on the right corner, and then press the Share button. We will then ask you to fill out a short form. We will review your submission and get back to you within 10 working days. More information about how to submit a model and the selection criteria is in our Q&A section.

Please be assured that images created with the public models can only be used for inspiration; the creators cannot use the final images for commercial projects. If someone wants to use your image for a commercial project, they need to obtain a license from you.

Step three: Model Store

On the next step we will allow users who want to use images created with your models to purchase rights for them from you. Customers will be able to pay for your images on our platform and you will be able to generate income with your AI model. You will be the one to determine the price for your images. You will also be able to sell subscriptions to your models the same way AI tech companies sell subscriptions to their products. This will enable you to monetize your creations directly and ensure that you are compensated for your work. Together, we can shift the balance and give power back to the artists.

Why publish a model now?

By sharing a model on exactly.ai, you can collaborate with other community members and observe how your art style is transformed in their hands. This innovative form of creative collaboration allows artists and creators with different skills to work together without even knowing each other in person. Unlike social media, where you passively consume content, exactly.ai offers a new type of interaction where you can engage with creators you admire and create within their artistic style, while also allowing others to create with your models. This fosters a dynamic and interactive environment that enhances creative expression and collaboration.

Publishing a model now allows you to establish your presence early in the Community Library. By sharing your model, you can gain visibility, attract followers, and start building a potential revenue stream once the Model Store is launched. Most importantly, sharing a model today will allow you to see how other creators make images with your style.

Questions and answers

How can I publish my model on the Community Library?

To submit your model, go to the Models section in your workspace, select the model you want to submit, click the "..." on the right corner, and then press the Share button. We will then ask you to fill out a short form. We will review your submission and get back to you within 10 working days.

What criteria should my model meet to be published?

We only publish models trained on your own artwork. When we receive a submitted model, we check that it is trained on images created by you. You can use any medium to create these images. Since our customers are designers, we expect that models trained on images suitable for graphic design and brand needs will be in the highest demand.

The exactly.ai community team, along with the art director, will assess the quality of the submitted models. Successful candidates will be able to publish their models. When selecting models, we do not consider your professional background, CV, or other credentials in the art world. The only thing that counts is your artwork.

Can I submit a model that is trained on AI-generated images?

You can only submit a model trained on AI-generated images if those images are produced with or derived from a model trained on your original artwork. We do not allow publishing models trained on AI-generated images, as this can violate the rights of the creators who contributed to the creation of those AIs.

I submitted my model to the Community Library. How long will it take to get a decision?

We will get back to you within 10 working days.

Who owns the rights to my model?

If you hold the copyright to the images used to train your model, you own the model and all images created with it. When someone creates an image using your model, they do not hold the copyright to that image; it remains yours. This means all legal rights to sell the image created with your model belong to you.